Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Cake Cravings

There is a hilarious scene in an episode of Sex and the City where Miranda makes herself a homemade chocolate cake. She starts off by eating one thin sliver of the cake and then walks away. The camera frame doesn't leave the kitchen the entire scene. You see her walk back into the kitchen just seconds later and help herself to another minuscule piece of the sinful treat. After she leaves the shot she is once again back within seconds and cuts herself a third helping. This time she is more realistic and portions out a sizable piece of the cake. After her third tasting she covers the cake in aluminum foil trying to make it less accessible. The tin foil wasn't strong enough to keep her out. After a short while she returns to the kitchen and has another piece. This time she covers it with foil and places it in the fridge assuming it to be the final resting place until a later date. Time elapses and she is back once more. She eats another piece; visibly frustrated with her lack of self control she throws the cake in the trash. Miranda thinks this will deter her from ever eating the cake again. In one last desperate scene, they show her back in the frame hovering over the trash can about to make a very dirty decision. She heads over to the sink, grabs the dish soap and pours it all over the cake making it unedible to her tempted tastebuds.

It is a brillant scene and my paragraph above does it little justice. I think the will power struggle she goes through during the short 2 minute scene is captured perfectly and with so much humor. I never could relate to the scene on a personal level because I am not a chocolate lover. I have never had something so rich and decedant tempting me in my own kitchen - that was until this weekend. Although it wasn't the chocolate cake of the sitcom, this pound cake was addictive. I couldn't stop eating it. Everytime I passed the cake stand I lifted the lid and helped myself to a sliver. I felt like I was headed down the Miranda dish soap road very quickly. I made sure to cut up slices to bring to work on Monday in an attempt to get the cake out of my house so it didn't end up in the trashcan drowning in Palmolive.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (do not over beat);

gradually add sugar, beating well.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined. Crack eggs into a bowl first before adding to the mixture to make sure you avoid shells in the cake mix.

Sift 3 cups of flour. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla from the huge 1 liter Mexican vanilla bottle my mother in law shared with me.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan.

Smooth the top of the cake or bottom of the cake (depending how you look at it) with a spatula to even it out.

Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack. My pound cake had a crazy crusty layer on the bottom that I just peeled off. It was like candy, it was so sweet and cruchy but it wasn't pretty so I just threw it away.

I really don't think the cream cheese changed the flavor at all. It was really all about the texture. The cake was so moist and dense, it was amazing. I honestly believe that if I didn't make it myself, I would never have guessed that the cake contained cream cheese.

I made this cake over the weekend. It is SERIOUS. I agree that the cream cheese didn't change the taste at all. But this was definitely the most solid pound cake I have ever made. I could only eat a small sliver. We served it with sliced strawberries and a chocolate whipped cream. :)

So glad to have found this! I think this is the 5th one I've made since finding it on Tastespotting at Easter - today's happens to be for my husband's birthday - he loves it so much that he requested it over a cake I've been making him for 14 years! I'm finally going to write the recipe down rather than looking at it on my laptop each time! :-)

This has been our favorite pound cake for many years-- in fact, my daughter, a super cook herself, requests it for her birthday. A good cup of French Roast and you're having cake for breakfast! Thanks for making the recipe available!

I have seen this recipe multiple times the past few weeks, but with lemon. Adding zest from 2 lemons and 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract. 1 FULL teaspoon salt as well. Thanks for tempting me once again to make a pound cake!

hopefully you see this comment asap. I was going to make this for my son's 1st birthday tomorrow, but am not sure if my idea will work. Can this cake be made as cupcakes? Or does it have to be in a the bundt pan to help it cook with the added heat in the center hole?

I HATE pound cake because every piece Ive ever tried was crumbly and dry. I came across your post on pinterest and had to try it for my hubby. Let me tell you, I am now a HUGE pound cake lover. My husband thanks you from the bottom of his heart :D

OHH and you threw away the crust candy? I grabbed a plate and glass of milk and went to town! lol

I am making a princess cake for my 4 year old on Monday and they said it does best with a pound cake (its the wonder mold so basically a bowl turned upside down with a barbie in it) but I need a frosting any recommendations?

I made this last night and it was delicious. Mine only cooked about an hour and 20 minutes but it turned out perfectly! I followed the recipe exactly as it is written and the only thing I will do differently next time is using a much larger bowl to mix it with! The cream cheese really brings a nice addition to this cake. Just perfect and the crust candy was delish as well! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

by not preheating the oven when you bake this cake you will get that nice crunchy outer crust. its been my experience with pound cakes, that people really like that outer crust. i didnt know until recently that you get that by not turning on the oven until the cake is in. just thought i'd share that secret :) now i'm going to make this cake.

I have this cake in the oven right now for the first time. I'm taking it to a fundraiser in a few hours. It smells divine! I'm a little worried at the temp being so low -it's been in for over an hour and still not looking like it's cooking on top. I'm going to sleep for another 30 minutes and pray that when I wake up it's perfect! I'll let you know...

I made this yesterday and OMG!!! So good! I will put a bit less sugar next time as I found it a bit sweet but other than that DELICIOUS :). I will try cutting up the leftovers and freezing them with parchemin paper seperating each slice.

Just made this recipe last night on a whim--so glad I came across it! My husband and mother-in-law ( an avid baker) went crazy for this cake! Just the right balance of everything. Beautiful consistency as well. Thanks for the recipe! :)

I loved snacking on the crunchy layer (and so did my dog - don't tell the vet!). I think next time I would use less sugar. I also started with a cold oven and slowly increased the heat until I got to 300. Classic recipe that would be good with additions of citrus zest or almond extract.

I have made this recipe for years. My boys fight over who gets the crispy sweet crust. I cannot believe you threw it away! I always give this as Christmas gifts every year and if my friends don't get it, they are highly disappointed!

I made this the other day nad it turned out PERFECT! Not one thing wrong with it! My husband, who has not ever been a fan of pound cake before...LOVES it!!! It is really rich and moist! Thanks for sharring your amazing recipe Elizabeth!

Your post gave me a vision of Rachel from Friends eating cheesecake off the floor of the hallway. As luck would have it, I have everything I need to make this cake in my kitchen right now. Soooo excited.

This recipe is my Go-To pound cake recipe. Yes, the temp is correct! Most recipe's call for higher tmeps and it makes for dry crumbly pound cake. Low and slow is the key Here are a few tips from a Home Ec teacher (BTW, i did not know about putting cake in a cold oven to get crunchy crust..thanks) Have all ingredients at ROOM TEMP.eggs, cream cheese, butter, alternate adding eggs beginning& ending with flour, switch up flavorings for diff. tastes. MY favorite is 2 t. vanilla/1 t. almond ( I like a lot of vanilla), lemon/vanilla, orange, coconut creme/vanilla, etc...I cream butter for 2 min, add cream cheese cream for 5 minutes add cream cheese and cream till mixed real well. This gives it the dense texture and aireates mixtures since there is no other leavening agent in the cake,. You can tell I've researched my pound cake baking until I got it just right. I now am the Pound Cake Queen!

I also love this cake although my way is a bit easier and FASTER to get to the cake. Put flour in mixing bowl first, then add sugar, softened butter and cream cheese, add eggs and ALL remaining ingred. at the same time. Mix for 1 minute on medium, scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix for 1 - 2 minutes. Pour in pan and bake as directed. I always mixed and mixed but found this little tidbit in Southern Living. It makes making a Pound Cake so much more tempting. Good Baking.

The interest in this recipe just keeps growing! My first one is in the oven (batter was awesome!) and I'll start the second in just a few minutes. Will be serving to twenty people at a game night, and I know they are going to love it!

I see that this blog post is a few years old, but I recently found your recipe via Pinterest and tried it today. My whole family LOVED it! It is so rich and absolutely delicious. Thanks for the recipe! We will definitely be making this one again!

Oh, and to the commenter whose cake ended up burnt, I turned my oven temp down to 275 and cooked the cake for just under 2 hours (about an hour and 50-55 minutes) and it was perfectly golden on the outside. I took it out just after the crispy layer started to pull away from the cake. Maybe try turning the temp down next time? My oven cooks fast, so I always assume 25 degrees lower for any recipe.

This recipe is very much like a favorite of ours, "Cold Oven cake" a very dear friend used to make for all the family dinners. Always a hit, and the outer crust you were talking about, that you peeled off, well our friends and family would have really been angry at you for that. She would watch the cake very closely to get that crust on the cake for that was always the best part that we always liked. The cream cheese sounds like it will make the cake more moist, and with a little different flavor too.Thanks for this recipe, I will be trying it soon.

I made this today, it is very decadent but SO worth it. Utterly delicious. I love that paper-thin crisp candy-like outside with the dense but fluffy cake inside, SO GOOD. I used reduced fat cream cheese and it turned out great. Thank you!

I have it in the oven right now. My family likes their chocolate, so I scooped out about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of batter when it was all mixed and added about 3/4 cup melted dark chocolate to it. I then layered the vanilla and chocolate batter into my bundt pan and swirled with a knife. We shall see!!! PLan to serve with fresh fruit and whip cream

Thanks for this! I found via Pintrest! I made this with 2 cups of sugar instead of three, vegan spread instead of butter and light cream cheese with the zest and juice of one lemon. It's Amazing!! Has to be one of the best cakes I've ever made. Thank you so much for sharing!

Has anyone had a problem with the cake exploding/overflowing (Bundt pan) or the middle sinking in (regular pan)? The cake still tastes delicious, but I would love to know how to get that picture-perfect look!I have no sifter, could that be my problem? Thanks!

I've been making this recipe now for probably 20 years. This is the most requested recipe from my family when I go home to visit in GA. I will sometimes make as many as 10 on a given trip. My brothers would rather have this for a birthday cake vs any other store bought cake. It freezes well and is also great with chopped pecans on top.

I made this last week and we've been enjoying a sliver every night since. It's delicious and divine and we're going to be so sorry once we've finished it all! While it's delish on it's own, I think it would be even more fabulous with a small drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce.

After many failed attempts at pound cake and only getting DRY results. FINALLY!! This is the best pound cake that I have ever made! Thank you so much for the post. I will be using this recipe for many years to come.

This cake is AMAZING!! This is the second one I've made. This time I used less sugar, only 2 cups, and did not get the sweet crusty top that peels off. Both times they are picture perfect, did not boil over, and I did not sift my flour. I "fluff it" before spooning the flour into a measuring cup. I used shortening and flour to prep the bundt cake pan. We topped it with fresh raspberries mixed with a little raspberry jam. My friends loved the cake. This time we might try strawberries. Thank you for the recipe!!!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it. I was the best decision I made! This is the best pound cake I've ever made! And yes I had the same results as you on the top crunchy layer, but who cares this is one of my go to recipes. Thanks so much.

That episode CRACKS me up! I'm the same way about a great pound cake, it's always calling my name. My recipe I got from a friend, is almost the same with the addition of a little almond extract that doesn't add a distinctive almond flavor, just a little something. Here's the recipe if you like.http://fromchapelhilltochickenville.blogspot.com/2010/11/crock-pot-apple-butter-with-cinnamon.html

I made this cake back in September and was not impressed. I followed the recipe to the letter. The cake smelled wonderful while in the oven, came out absolutely gorgeous, but it was virtually tasteless. I even made a lemon glaze for it and it still was lacking.

GREAT!!!!.. My crust did not brown.. after almost two hours at 300... I guess.. I need to place the cake in a "cold" oven.. HUSBAND loved the cake... THANKS for sharing!!!!.. My mom used to bake this cake.....

I have never tried to accomodate the recipe to work with mini bundt pans, but have often thought about it because I think they would make awesome gifts. I would definitley think you would need to adjust cooking time, but I really am not sure. If you decide to try it out, please report back. I would love to know how they turn out. Good Luck!

Just made this cake again last night..perfect taste and texture! Since it is a true butter cake it keeps really well and mellows at fairly cool room temp wrapped or in a cake keeper. If we have any left after two days it gets sliced and put into fridge or freezer. Mine cooks in preheated oven at 300 with two pyrex cups of water on same rack. Varies from hour and a half to hour and forty five minutes..use buttered floured 10 in tube pan..cook until firm lightly brown and cracked on top.

I made the cake last night and it is amazing (and I just ate a piece for breakfast!) Wonderful flavor and sweet crunchy outside. I made a cherry-brandy compote along with it, but I think just a plain slice is my favorite way to eat it.

I alternate cup of flour and 2 eggs until all is used. I also cream butter and sugar for a while, and sift flour 3 times. It makes for a lighter cake. Another thing I do is use about a tsp of vanilla and about a half of tsp of almond flavoring...use the cap so not exactly sure measurement. Also, in the original recipe above you said you threw away thr crust??? Around here that would be a huge sin/crime. That is what EVERYONE fights over and wants.

I am going to make this cake this weekend! I have been trying many pound cake recipes in search for the perfect one. They've all been good, but not amazing...missing something. I'm betting it's the cream cheese. I cannot wit. I love that scene from the show. Classic! I may find myself in that very predicament this weekend.

The absolute best pound cake recipe I've found yet! Only change was that I used just under 3 cups of sugar. It was perfect! I wondered about the crunchy crust everyone mentioned, well, let me say... I didn't toss it. I left it intact, it wasn't too crunchy or too sweet, it was just right & everyone loved it! Made it a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm being asked to make another!

I made it yesterday. Turned out ok, but bake time was a little too long and the outtrer part that was touching the pan tastes burnt. I'd try this again and watch it a little closer so I could take it out in time.

You are correct! This IS the best poundcake in the world. I've been making it since the mid-1990s. My daughter claimed if for herself and changed the flour to cake flour and made a great cake even better. My advice: don't overcook it.

I have used this recipe for years and always a hit. My recipe states START in COLD OVEN VERY IMPORTANT! Lol not kidding it does say that. Also it says to use cake flour and it does make a difference I have done it both ways. Also I prefer this particular pound cake with almond flavor it enhances the cream cheese. This is an awesome cake

I've baked this cake twice and its turned out great both times! The texture is so smooth, and its moist, not dry! The crust is great too! Thank you so much for sharing! This is now MY POUND CAKE recipe!!

I tried this recipe and loved it, would it be alright if I shared it as part of a "My Favorite Pinterest Recipe Finds" post on my new blog (prettyontheinsidemommy.blogspot.com)? I would link back to your blog and give you full credit for the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!

This is so good! I have made it 4 times in the past 2 weeks!! My family and friends are loving it! I added cocoa powder last time (3/4 cup) and the result was mind blowing!(LoL, yes, I have food issues!) Thanks you so much for sharing this!

The cake is in the oven right now and smells yummy -- I followed the recipe exactly and have a funky shaped bundt cake pan and it filled it up by about 75%. Hopefully it turns out well!! It's a birthday cake, so fingers crossed! I'll come back and post after I try some.

This is a fabulous pound cake. In response to some earlier posts, pound cakes don't have leavening agents like baking powder. Do not try to reduce calories by slipping in lesser fat items. It's a cake, for heavens sake. It is supposed to crack on the top when it is nearly done. And,if it overruns the pan, you probably used self rising flour by mistake. I have one in the oven right now and can't wait!

I took the cake out with 30mins left. I thought I was done. This is my first time making a puns cake. It's still really good just doesn't have the thick texture to it. But I learned. :) very good still

I too had a look of horror reading that sentence.....the crust is THE best o art of a pound cake. And if you can bake it where it doesn't crack and stays on the cake when you remove it from the pan, you my friend are a cake baking wizard!

This is, by far, the best pound cake recipe. I've made it several times and always get compliments for it being the best pound cake ever. I do substitute the flour for cake flour. It is delicious and you are right about the crust, it tastes like candy! So yummy! Thanks for sharing.

Want to make this for a neighborhood dessert gathering...Love this pound cake by itself, but wondering how to make it a chocolate pound cake? Have you tried to alter the flavorings with any success? Thanks!

I bake ALOT & consider myself very good at it. Was looking for a yummy pound cake recipe to make a strawberry short cake with in honor of my daughter receiving a special sacrament. When it comes to special occasions, I always put taste before health conscious! Being that this cake got such GREAT reviews & was said to be so easy & "best pound cake" ever, I decided to give this recipe a try. Cake was extremely dense but not in a good way. Had a weird saturated, solid texture, very hard to describe because the cake was fully cooked. Felt very heavy in my stomach afterwards. I will say the batter tasted amazing, the thin layer of crust on top way delish & the cake itself did have a nice "flavor" HOWEVER that is it, texture was all off. I followed the directions to a T, only thing I did different was bake it in a sheet pan rather than a bundt pan as I covered it w/homemade whipped cream & strawberries. I am an avid baker, I bake almost daily whether it's a desserts or making my own bread. I did eat some of it as again it had a nice "taste" & I really wanted to like it, of course was covered in homemade whipped cream & berries too but after a few fork fulls couldn't bring myself to eat another bite, texture was all off.. huge disappointment! Never have I made something loaded with so much cholesterol & sugar and never will I again. But again so many great reviews & like I said, I usually go for taste over health when it comes to special occasions. Sounds like overall many others enjoyed this recipe but this is just my opinion and I couldn't help but share it.

Sorry you didn't enjoy your results. This cake is definitely designed to be a pound cake made in a bundt pan or loaf pan though and not a sheet cake. As evident by its absence of leavening agents in the recipe, this cake is intended to be a very dense and heavy cake just like a traditional pound cake. Better luck next time. Thanks for sharing.

Finished baking it...it tastes yummy, but it is too dense for my liking and the crust is too thick and sweet. The inside is ok tho..it looks so good, easy to cut and the appearance is perfect. Surprisingly, my dear husband likes it ! He says the cake is milky, not too sweet and densely smooth. Oh well...not everybody has the same taste bud do we ?

This recipe is the absolute BEST! I have used it for years with the addition of almond extract! Make sure you beat each egg until fully combined and the texture of the cake will be fluffier than a normal pound cake. I like my crust to be light brown soI lower the temp to 325 and cook for @ 1hr. 15 min.

This is an excellent pound cake. I cut the cake in quarters and will freeze until ready to make trifle over the summer. Enough for three trifles after using the first piece for strawberry shortcake. Thanks for posting.

I made this yesterday! Everyone enjoyed it. I only had 4 eggs and it still tasted great. I also added 1 tsp of almond essence and 1/8 tsp of Lemon essence. We placed it in a cold oven and ours baked at 300° 1 hour 10 minutes. We will be making it again.